1. Protein plus Peanut Flour

Everybody knows one of the best things to add to your oatmeal is peanut butter, but what about lowering the calories and still getting the same great taste? The answer? Protein Plus Peanut Flour. This is hands down one of the most delicious things you can add to your oatmeal of all. It’s packed with protein, vitamins, and most importantly, it's low in fat. Healthy fats are good for you, but you still want to watch it where you can, especially when combined with a heavy carbohydrate food like oats. It’s always best to eat more protein than fat with carbs to prevent excess weight gain. Protein Plus Peanut Flour has about 1 gram of fat per tbsp., with 4 grams of protein and 1 gram of fiber. It’s also packed with B vitamins and made from real, non-GMO peanuts. It’s light roasted as well, so it’s not heavy on your stomach, and is made from only 100% defatted peanuts. It has a rich peanut flavor and will take your oatmeal to extraordinary with just 1 tbsp. stirred in after cooking!

2. Shredded Coconut

I love coconut anything, and unsweetened shredded coconut, in about a 1 tbsp. amount, is all you need to create a rich, warming coconut flavor to your oatmeal, with just a stir after cooking. It’s also easy to mix in during cooking if you want to do this. I like Bob’s Red Mill brand for the richest taste and texture.

3. Oat Fiber

Have you ever heard of oat fiber? It’s a great source of fiber, and it has zero calories. It also tastes mild and nutty, similar to oatmeal, but it comes in a powder form. It’s isn’t the same as oat flour or oat bran, but is instead only the fiber extracted from the oats, therefore it has no calories and only fiber. It’s also easy to digest and helps to thicken up your oatmeal with just a tablespoon. I like how thick it makes my oatmeal, and it also adds fiber, which keeps me fuller much longer.

4. Kefir

Have you tried kefir yet? It’s one of my absolute favorite foods to eat, and also one of my favorite sources of probiotics. If you want to get technical, kefir is actually a beverage, similar to yogurt, but cultured much differently, though it has the same tart, slightly sweet taste as yogurt does. Kefir is rich in probiotic cultures, much more so than yogurt, with almost 10-100 billion live and active cultures per serving. I like to add just around 1 or 2 tbsp. to my oatmeal after it’s done cooking, and then stir it in right before eating. It creates a delicious creamy taste that also adds healthy probiotics and protein to my morning oats. I like the plain, unsweetened variety to avoid added sugars, so be careful when choosing a kefir, and make sure that you do the same if you’re concerned with your sugar intake.

5. Pomegranate Seeds

While this might not seem like such a new idea, most people don’t consider just adding a few pomegranate seeds to their oats, instead of the usual berries, but they should! Pomegranates are higher in polyphenols than berries, and are much lower in sugar. I love my berries as much as the next girl, but if you want another alternative that’s just a teeny bit healthier, go for the pomegranate seed! Just 1 or 2 tablespoons is all you need to get a sweet, slightly tart taste similar to cranberries, but unique in their own way.

6. Coconut Flour

If you haven’t tried coconut flour yet, or don’t like baking with it, please do give this idea a try before you rule out the almighty coconut flour. Coconut flour is low in fat, very high in fiber and has 3 grams of protein per 2 tablespoons. It’s made of defatted coconut shreds, and it tastes like vanilla cake batter! It’s incredibly healthy for your blood sugar, and also your weight. It helps to rid the digestive tract of toxins and wards of sugar cravings very well. It also makes your oats rich and plump like oat fiber, but with a cake batter like taste! Try it for yourself and see! Just one or two tablespoons is all you need per bowl of oats.

7. NuttZo

If you haven’t tried NuttZo, what are you waiting for? NuttZo is delicious! It’s also packed with only the best tasting, all organic nuts and seeds. There is even a peanut-free version if you’re allergic to peanuts! It has all the best from walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, almonds and peanuts in the peanut variety. It also comes in a chocolate and regular flavor, along with having no added sugar in the plain variety. It’s your new super nut butter and you’ll never have to buy a ton of nut butters again. Just try NuttZo! They even have both creamy and crunchy in both peanut and peanut-free varieties. To keep it lower in calories, add around 1 tbsp. per serving of oats, or for a super busy day, go ahead and add the full 2 tbsp. serving. Just one tablespoon is so packed with nutrition, I find it keeps me going for at least 4 hours on top of a 1 cup serving bowl of oatmeal.

If you have a favorite thing you like to add to your oatmeal, please feel free to share. Most mornings that I make oatmeal, I usually just add add either oat fiber, Berry Bliss superfood by Philosophie, a couple tablespoons of vanilla protein powder, flax, chia, cinnamon, ginger, kefir and vanilla extract. I like my oats pretty mild in sweetness and though I love chocolate and cocoa powder, first thing in the morning, I just crave something warm with cinnamon and vanilla. For my favorite oatmeal recipe, called Cinnamon Bliss Superfood Oats, take a look at my blog sometime. What about you? What do you like to add to your oatmeal?